


That one time he trips down a waterfall and the aftermath (Not as bad as you'd think)

by ASporkFullOfBeans



Category: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Genre: Baby Zora, Everything is Beautiful and Nothing Hurts, Except for Link he hurts a little bit, Fluff, Hes the Hero of Time not the Hero of Climb okay, Local Lynel's job done for him by a sort of slippery rock, M/M, Monster employment rates drop dramatically as Hyrule Hero finds his own way to kick his ass, Mute Link, Non-Verbal Link, Sidon is low key insecure, Sign Language
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-07
Updated: 2017-05-07
Packaged: 2018-10-28 22:23:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,822
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10840674
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ASporkFullOfBeans/pseuds/ASporkFullOfBeans
Summary: He takes the long way up to Shatterback point. The Lynel's returned with the blood moon, only this time it's a blue mane and got twice the temper.Naturally, Link volunteers to kill the beast once again - he needs a Lynel horn for the Great Fairy anyway. It's no trouble, he's even starting to think he's getting the hang of countering the horse-beast's pattern of attack.What he doesn't account for is stopping on the way up to get a beautiful picture of Zora's Domain from above. It's sweeping architecture and glittering luminous stone sheds light further down the cradle where the Kingdom rests. Link can't help but capture it with the Sheikah Slate.





	That one time he trips down a waterfall and the aftermath (Not as bad as you'd think)

**Author's Note:**

> Sorry for the bad title. It was more of a joke at first but then I couldn't come up with anything better so it's official.  
> I also apologize that this isn't chapter 6 of The Journey of Link, I wanted to take a break and do some shippy stuff because I've been reading it a lot lately.
> 
> Also x2! Minor spoiler for the future of The Journey of Link, but, Wolf Link has a name! He's called Agro because in game he really kind of is. The freak just attacks literally any mob no questions asked, the first time I used him he killed a mini boss I didn't even know was there.  
> I also imagine that he hates Zora's Domain (It's high in the air, there's water everywhere, and Zora are big and threatening, all the gourmet meat in the world can't get him across that bridge)

He takes the long way up to Shatterback point. The Lynel's returned with the blood moon, only this time it's a blue mane and got twice the temper.

Naturally, Link volunteers to kill the beast once again - he needs a Lynel horn for the Great Fairy anyway. It's no trouble, he's even starting to think he's getting the hang of countering the horse-beast's pattern of attack.

What he doesn't account for is stopping on the way up to get a beautiful picture of Zora's Domain from above. It's sweeping architecture and glittering luminous stone sheds light further down the cradle where the Kingdom rests. Link can't help but capture it with the Sheikah Slate.

As luck would have it, a light rain has made the blue platform near the waterfall slicker than usual and the Hylian Champion slips. With a yelp of surprise, throwing his arms out to try and correct his balance, Link angles forward. The movement's too sharp though and sends him tumbling forward instead of back with a frightened yell.

The wind whips past his ears as his heart races and his mind goes blank except for the panicking rush of _Dear Hylia please don't kill me._ He's never fallen into water from such a great height before, especially without the paraglider. He's heard the rumors of what it's done to a Bokoblin's body and Hylian's really aren't much bigger than the beasts.

Twisting his core, Link tries to right himself mid air. Hitting the water feet first has got to be better than head and/or shoulders first. The edge of the cliff side is nearly as threatening as the water below, slate gray and blue rock flying past him as he gets closer and closer to the depths.

A jutting out rock landing, its sides halfheartedly warn by water, makes the looming hazard of the natural stone wall a reality. The sharp edge of it clips Link's side as he struggles to angle himself.

Hylian ribs snap like twigs, his tunic ripping like paper, and he's unconscious before he can worry about hitting the water again.

When he comes to for the first time, there's the familiar feeling of a hearty elixir warming his blood and a very worried prince by his side.

 

The incident was, however, a week ago.

His prince is no less frantic. Waiting on him hand and foot, insisting he stay in bed and practically drowning him in any potion the Zora healers stop by with. It's nice, to an extent, but Sidon doesn't let up even as he starts to heal.

 _"I'm okay, Sidon. Really."_ Link signs for the umpteenth time as he sits up in the infirmary bed. It's one of the few they have, more often housed with sleeping pools instead of mattresses.

Golden eyes are still filled with worry as the prince brings a hand up to straighten Link's bangs. "The healers say you should rest more before moving too much." Which, of course they do. Your average Hylian traveler wouldn't even have survived the fall, let alone walk away from it with a few broken ribs and a gash down his side.

Well. He didn't walk away per say. The guard posted at the east bridge at the time noticed his fall (a strangled yell, loud splash, and cloud of blood in the water wasn't the easiest thing to ignore) and promptly saved his life.

Link also supposedly slept for about four days straight after being rescued. During that time Sidon was in near hysterics so his constant hovering is an improvement according to the healers.

However, still managing to survive it all lets the analogy of 'walking away' stand as far as Link's concerned.

The Prince of the Zora is less convinced by the logic. Pleading eyes look down on him, Sidon still somehow taller than him in spite of being hunched over in a seat entirely too small for his frame next to Link's bedside. The scene has him relenting, rather it's all Hylians or just the one - he can't say no to a forlorn looking shark.

 _"Alright, fine."_ Link signs with a huff, sitting back in defeat. The pillows have already been adjusted twice by Sidon and he gets a funny feeling that their positions are going to be edited again soon.

"Thank you." Sidon damn near sighs in relief and Link pulls a face. He's been in the infirmary a _week._ "Hush." Is all the prince regards him with, clawed thumb carefully smoothing out the wrinkle of his brow and trying to will away the expression that's definitely not a pout. Champions don't pout, _Link_ doesn't pout.

He is still looking a little bit sulking (totally not pouting) when the Zora decides to steer the conversation in a more lighthearted direction. "You know," He starts. "I do think Muzu is starting to take a liking to you."

Link's 100%-not-pout disappears into a look of surprise. The flip from one to the other must be rather amusing because Sidon chuckles. "Remember how he'd asked if you lived? This morning he wanted me to let you know he is glad you survived."

The ray headed Zora was one of the least kind to him on his first visit to Zora's Domain. One of the first to outright blame him for Mipha's death, though other's had pointed it out less bluntly. Even now as Vah Ruta stands calmed at the top of the Zodobon highlands, Muzu tends to look down at him.

There's less anger behind it, sure. Link knows the old Zora is grateful for his help. Old habits die hard though and Muzu might always be bitter towards Hylians.

Courting the last surviving heir to the throne hasn't helped the scholar's opinion of him either.

It was nice to know the ray had abandoned his death wish for Link, though.

Naturally impressed by the information, he hums, settling back into the pillow prop made for him. _"Are you sure it's actually Muzu?"_  Link signs with more exaggeration than strictly necessary. The day Muzu admits to actually liking him, more than just the tolerating he barely does now, is the day that Agro willingly steps foot into the Domain.

"Yes, I'm certain it's Muzu." Sidon says with a slight roll of his eyes. Truth be told, Link doesn't always help with getting the ray to like him. "Maybe one day he'll come around to Hylians again." He hopes, taking one of Link's hands in his. Partially to hold his love's hand, but also partially to keep the snide comments about the elders at bay.

Soon enough, the prince continues speaking about the general goings on of the kingdom around him. Link occasionally interjects with a few words, sometimes taking his hand back to sign out the full gestures but other times letting Sidon keep it and just using his one free hand to spell it all out the slow way. He can't help it, holding the Zora's hand is worth the slightly sluggish response sometimes. Sidon's hands are big and warm and his skin differs in texture with Link's enough to make the brushing of their fingers feel interesting.

His responses get less and less coherent as Sidon's gentle voice lulls him to sleep.

By the time Link wakes up the sky has gone dark and the Prince of the Zora's large form is crumpled over his bedside. The point of his crest poking the mattress as he rests his head on his arms, gills fluttering with quiet snores.

The position can't be comfortable at all and he's probably going to have a backache when he wakes but he looks absolutely adorable, red fingers still loosely curled around Link's hand.

He brushes their fingertips together lightly, biting back a grin as Sidon's tail twitches in response.

Link's stomach growls angrily, interrupting the peaceful moment. It gladly lets him know that he's missed dinner and his organs aren't much pleased by that fact.

Carefully, he withdrawals his hand from Sidon's sleeping grip and glances about the room. The luminous stone decorations help light it enough so that he can make out where most things are and he formulates the perfect plan of escape.

In a feat that's more impressive than sneaking past a herd of Lynels, Link shuffles off of the bed without waking the sleeping Zora. It's an easy pattern of shimmying, pausing to check the sleeping status of his love, and then more shimmying with the least amount of moving the bed under him as possible. All while not disturbing his healing ribs.

Needless to say, he celebrates his newfound freedom with a wide grin and a bit of a victory dance. Said dance is more of just wiggling as real dancing involves a lot more rib movement than one would think.

The first part of his Master Plan complete, Link goes on the hunt for a shirt. His original tunic was abused by the fall just as much as he was and sent off to be repaired.

On the side table he finds his pale blue earrings and hair tie, only really paying attention to his hair when it falls in his face as he looks down. There's a habitual sort of comfort in raking his unruly blonde locks into a ponytail, it being one of the few normal things he can still do while trapped in the Domain.

The earrings find their place as he steps lightly around the room. The shelving nor the desk offer any sort of clothing and as far as he can tell the floor is bare.

His bandages cover him well enough though, his entire chest wrapped with them. Besides, Zora wear even less than the loose infirmary trousers he's got on, so Link resigns himself to being shirtless.

Mourning the loss of a step of his Master Plan, he checks once more that Sidon hasn't awoken. A soft rhythm of snores goes unbroken as the prince sleeps and Link wishes for the Sheikah Slate to capture the scene.

Needy stomach pulling him away, Link slowly opens the door. It's big and rounded like most other doors in the castle but Hylia be damned, it _creaks_.

The noise makes him jump and whip around to look at Sidon. Heart hammering at the unexpected hurdle, Link thanks the goddess above that his favorite Zora isn't a light sleeper.

Of _course_ they'd shove him in the room with the loudest door in the kingdom. Tonight's Master Plan isn't even centered around leaving anymore, he really just wants some food.  Hylian ears flick down as he goes from momentarily terrified to a tad bitter.

You try to escape in the middle of the night _one time_ and you never get a normal room again.

Link manages to wriggle through the door and make it out to the hall with minimal squeaking, taking the time to agonizingly slowly close the thing after him so it doesn't shriek.

"Master Link? What are you doing up?" A voice behind him makes his heart jump up in his throat and that small part of him that thinks every time he sneaks around means life or death panic. Link turns to the source of the voice with a huff of a breath as a halfhearted attempt to calm the quick beat in his chest.

"Oh! I'm sorry, I didn't mean to frighten you." The voice's owner is a pale green skinned Zora with a Narwhal likeness. She's patched him up on more than one occasion, he remembers her being kind. Though, like most Zora, Hylian sign is unknown to her.

She's picked up a few things from him (mostly complaining) as she's stitched him together again. Due to the Zora's distaste for his species, Link's honestly surprised at all that anyone in the kingdom can read his _written_ language let alone a secondary one that even some other Hylians don't know. Though, the few who can understand his sign are either of the Royal family or are still jaded towards him and choose to ignore what he says.

Before he has the time to wonder how to ask where the kitchen is, his stomach takes the liberty of doing it for him. It growls loudly and he gives the Zora a sheepish smile as she chuckles. "You were one of the ones to miss dinner, weren't you?" She asks with a glance down at the thin stone slab in her hands, atop it rests a few sheets of presumably water treated parchment.

At Link's nod she smiles once again. "I can lead you to the kitchen if you'd like, I'm sure the chefs wouldn't mind making you something."  

The infirmary is surprisingly bigger than he thought it would be. They pass doorways that sound like heavy coughs and a child's cry, of silent rooms entitled with the words Operating Room on a slate near the door, and even a room with several healers mulling about as they take a break from their hectic professions.

 _"Who else hasn't had dinner yet?"_ Link finds himself asking curiously, more interested in the infirmary than before.

The pale Zora only stares at him with a guilty look. "I… unfortunately don't understand."

He frowns, patting at his empty pockets as he racks his brain to come up with a different way to speak. Unfortunately it's not the most simple of inquiries.

"Oh! Here." She flips over some of the parchment on her slate and hands it to him. It's heavier than he's expected, huffing a bit as he tries to get it into a hold that doesn't disturb his injuries. He surely hopes his writing is neat enough to be read as he writes out his question against the treated paper.

He tilts the slate towards her and she scans over the Hylian script. "Ah, well. There's a little girl in room 24 with an awful cold that couldn't keep any of it down, a hatchling that threw a bit of a fit around feeding time and a member of the guard that's been asleep since noon with a broken arm from a training stunt gone wrong." She explains as she leads him down another turn.

Link nods along with her explanation, feeling a pang of sympathy for the little girl and guard member. Under his last question he writes out, _"What's your name?"_ because he feels a little guilty not remembering it if he ever knew.

She hums as she reads over it. "Ah well, I believe the guard member's name is-"

He waves the hand not holding the slate to get her attention and shakes his head. "I'm sorry, did I read that wrong?" She asks, glancing back down at the slate. As she does, Link points at her and she gets what he means. "Oh, my name?"

Link nods once again, smiling and making a note to write a bit neater for her. "I'm Nolah." She says, extending a hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Master Link." The handshake is a bit awkward and he nearly drops the poor writing slate.

Before he can however, Nolah takes it from him and stops in front of a large double door. "The kitchen is just through here, I trust you can find your own way back to your room?" She asks, straightening the parchment and flipping it back over.

He nods at her once again and signs _"Thank you."_ while mouthing it.

"My pleasure, Master Link." Nolah turns to walk back down the hall they came from, pausing halfway with a knowing smile. "And just so you remember, your room is in the opposite direction of the stables."

She grins as he gawks at her. _"I'm not trying to leave this time! Epona isn't even at Wetlands Stables anymore."_ Link signs before he remembers she doesn't understand it. The defensive way he makes the words and the flicking of his ears is enough for her to get a rough idea of what he means however.

Nolah leaves him at the kitchen doors with a laugh and a "Goodnight, Master Link." over her shoulder.

He wills the slight blush from his face and ears, a bit embarrassed over how the entire infirmary seems to think him an escape artist.

Though, he has done it before and is rather likely to do it again, especially if Sidon insists on him staying for much longer.

Link puts a hand up to the large door, intent on pushing it open, when a shrill wail makes him turn. The terribly upset sound is followed by desperate shushing. Curiously, he abandons his original mission and starts to follow the sound.

A wet hiccup interrupts another loud cry, this time followed by a resigned sigh.

The closer he gets to the noise, the louder it gets, until Link's standing in a half open doorway peering into a small room. There are several cushions strewn about, some tables and a rocking chair. Said rocking hair swings back and forth as a tired looking Zora pats the back of a very tiny baby that only pauses its wailing to take a breath.

"Hush now little one, others are trying to sleep and as should you." The poor Zora sighs, cradling the baby against his shoulder.

Hesitantly, Link knocks against the side of the door and he turn to look at him. "Oh, I'm so sorry, I just can't get him to calm down. I'm about to have to take him elsewhere, I don't want to wake anyone else."

Link waves a hand and closes the door behind him as he walks in. _"I was already awake."_ He reassures him. The Zora's skin is a dark blue, and Link recognizes him as one of the Royal guard.

"Oh, that's a relief." He sighs, bouncing a bit in a desperate attempt to calm the poor hatchling. "I'm Kayto, by the way."

 _"Nice to meet you."_ Link smiles, glad to find someone born long enough ago to understand him. _"Is everything okay?"_

Kayto heaves another sigh. "I just can't get him to stop. I've tried everything. Singing, rocking, feeding him, bouncing, humming. Nothing's working."

Link bites his lip as he thinks for a moment, hoping he isn't about to do something stupid he asks. _"Can I try?"_ As far as he can actually remember, he's never held a baby in his life, let alone one of an entirely different species.

"Be my guest." Kayto says, his tone very much of a father that's just a few minutes from giving up appeasing his son and letting him cry himself out.

After a short lesson of how to properly hold a hatchling, Link stands with a tiny ball of anger in his arms. The poor thing can't be more than five pounds, little fists swinging out aimlessly with his eyes shut so tight it looks like it hurts.

Link makes a quiet shushing noise as he tries to navigate the room carefully, walking so slow you'd think he's holding a priceless artifact.

Kayto tries to hide a grin as Link slowly settles down on one of the larger cushions on the floor, large and soft enough to act as a chair on its own. He winces as a small foot kicks at his tender ribs and makes another soft shush, patting the baby's back with one hand as he prompts him to lay against his bandaged chest.

The poor thing continues to cry, tail swishing back and forth as he shakes his little head. The pressure against his chest isn't the most comfortable thing in the world, especially sense it won't stop wriggling. Soon enough though, Link settles down in the cushion and stills, keeping the hatchling supported on his chest with a hand on his back.

Desperately, he grips to the theory that Kayto has tried everything except for nothing, and that if the tiny little fella can just get some peace maybe he'll fall asleep.

For a good few minutes Link wonders if his plan was a horrible mistake as the baby doesn't let up his cries, but as Link straightens his tail that was bent by all the wriggling, tiny eyes actually open.

 _Hi._ Link thinks with a small smile, not wanting to risk moving to wave at the little baby who won't understand it anyway. The shrill cries slowly turn to whines and hiccups as teary eyes start to droop.

With the hand resting against the baby's back, he rubs small circles with his thumb between his tiny shoulder blades. Link bites back a grin as the hatchling yawns, little limbs curling inward as he rests his head against a bandaged chest. Hylian heartbeat singing him to sleep.

"How… did you do that?" Kayto whispers and if Link's honest, he'd almost forgotten the other Zora was there.

Not risking the movement of a shrug, Link uses his free hand to spell out. _"I don't really know."_

"Whatever it is, it's amazing." The Zora admits, settling back in the rocking chair with a sigh.

Kayto starts to catch up on reading while Link enjoys his lounged position as a hatchling's pillow. He doesn't realize his own eyes drooping as he falls asleep to the gentle sound of turning pages and fluttering gills of the breath of a baby Zora on his chest.

-

Prince Sidon awakes with a snore that gets a bit caught in his gills and turns into a small cough, startling himself awake in a less than graceful manor.  

He sits upright, regretting the action as his back aches, muscles twitching a bit as he groans. There's a crest-shaped divot in his arms from laying over them and they too have their own aches as he moves them.

Sniffling a bit and rubbing at his face, he takes in his surroundings.

He's sitting on an entirely too small chair next to one of the infirmary beds.

 _Ah yes._ He thinks. Of course, he was just coming down to visit Link-

Golden eyes fall on the bed where his Champion should be resting. Except, said Hylian is nowhere to be seen, covers thrown back and the mattress isn't even warm.  

Heart jumping into his throat, Sidon stands up from the chair and in quick strides makes it to the door.

He should have known  better than to coddle Link so much. The last time the Hylian was forced into the infirmary he stayed no less than three days before paragliding out of a window.

He isn't one to be taken care of, and if so not for long. Sidon always ends up driving him away each and every time he's injured, he's a _prince_. He's supposed to know and understand things like this. How is he ever supposed to run a Kingdom if he can't even understand his boyfriend-

"Prince Sidon, Sir?" A voice pulls him out of his thoughts and makes him realize he's walking down a hall without a clue where he's going.

Quickly, he collects himself and smiles down at her. Her skin is a pale green and Sidon recognizes her as a healer named Nolah. "Yes, miss?" He asks her, hoping he's doing a good job of shoving away his initial panic.

"You're looking for him aren't you, for Master Link?" She asks, giving him a reassuring smile that he's both entirely grateful for and bitter of at the same time.

Regardless, he does his best to stay composed. "Yes, in fact, I am. Do you happen to know where he is?"

Nolah gestures for him to follow and starts leading him in the opposite direction. "He came out just a few hours ago. He happened to miss dinner, you know?" She explains, and he hums in response, feeling a pang of guilt for keeping Link from eating. "So I lead him to the kitchens, he could still be there now depending on what the chefs decided to cook for him."

"Thank you." He tells her with a bit of a sigh, more relieved than he would have thought at the information that Link hadn't just decided to escape the Domain.

Nolah only smiles at him. "It's no trouble, sir." She leads him down more halls that get increasingly familiar as they walk.

The trip is traveled in relative silence. "If you don't mind sir," Nolah starts as she walks with him through the paths of the infirmary. "I've got a small hatchling to check on before we get there. Though, I'm sure you're familiar enough with the Domain to know the way yourself." She gives him another kind smile and Sidon gives her one back by more reflex than anything.

"I don't mind at all." He says, putting one hand neatly behind his back as he gestures her forth with the other. He's let her lead him this far, there's no harm in letting her take him the rest of the way. "Lead the way, ma'am." Truth be told, an anxious seed is seated firmly next to his heart with no intentions of removing itself until he lays eyes on his love once more.

Nolah nods and continues walking.

His thoughts drift back to Link. His Hylian is just so fragile it pains him. Bones so easily broken, skin so easily torn, lungs so easy to drown. It by no way makes Link weak however, no, he's done things Sidon wouldn't have thought possible by armies of warriors - and singlehandedly at that.

The Champion however, never stops. He's always off to slay a new beast, to help a new person, to finish another quest. In all  of his travels, the poor Hylian doesn't get a chance to rest.

It makes something selfish in Sidon want to be able to just hold him, keep him safe, if only for a little while.

He only wishes that a little while could be longer than a week.

In his slightly tired, slightly panicked state, Sidon apparently doesn't do a very good job of keeping the emotions off of his face.

"He'll be alright you know. Hylians heal fast." Nolah reassures him as she starts to slow to a stop near an unmarked door.

"I know." Sidon smiles at her, though he's not sure how true it is.

The green Zora opens the door and stops at the scene before her. Sidon too, is shocked, looking above her height.

The room is a pale colored one, cheery. Decorated happily for children and hatchlings. A wooden rocking chair sits in one corner of the room with a member of the royal guard laying in it, Kayton if he remembers correctly. A book left abandoned on his chest as he sleeps, head lain to the side.

There's pillows and cushions strewn about the floor, lain over one of the biggest ones is Link.

He's fast asleep with his head fallen back the rise and fall of his chest lifting and lowering a tiny hatchling that can't be any more than a few weeks old. As the Hylian's chest rises again a loud snore plays off of the walls. His hair is a mess and his bandages need changing, fingers not held on the back of the child twitch in his sleep.

 _Goddess above_. Sidon prays silently, his love has never been more beautiful. It makes the world stop and stand on end as his breath catches on his next inhale.

As a Prince, Sidon has known since the time he himself was small that he was going to have a family. As a member of Royal blood, it's part of his job to continue his heritage regardless of his place in line for the throne.

Now that he's the only living heir and next to be King, it's more important than ever that he father children of his own. Not only does the Royal family need to continue, but he himself needs an heir.

Courting another male, even one of another species no less, has overshadowed that fact in his mind. In caring so much for Link, he's forgotten that one day he will have a family. Until now, he'd never actually imagined he could have that family with Link.

Each and every time he's imagined a family it has been with a nameless, faceless Zora of his kingdom. The details unimportant as he'd never quite felt for another of his race, let alone one in which reproduction was possible.

Prince Sidon always imagined that it would happen someday, he'd fall for a nice girl and they'd be wed and have a small but nice family, just as would be expected of him.

He'd never accounted for falling in love with Link, or what that would mean for his future.

The scene before him however makes him wonder just how the Champion would take to being a father, if he'd want to at all. If he'd even want to be tied to Sidon for the rest of his life.

**Author's Note:**

> The sick little girl in room 24 is an entirely too subtle reference to ObakeAri's amazing series called Sidlink Shenanigans. Seriously, go read it if you haven't, it's great.
> 
> Edit:  
> Holy fuckin shit yall. A thousand hits??? A hundred kudos???? Thank you all so much like holy crap I did not think this was going to be nearly as popular <3   
> I made a blog if anyone wants to come say hi or scream about sidlink and botw - https://hero-of-climb.tumblr.com/


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